Petunia plant named `Sunbelkubu`

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a petunia plant, having a decumbent habit plant having long stems. The petunia plant has over-abundant branching, particularly secondary branching is strong, and great profusion blooms, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time. The flowers are single and very small, the petals having a vivid purple color, and the bottom color of the corolla throat is bright greenish yellow and the outside color of corolla tube is pale yellow green. The plant has a high resistance to rain, heat, drought and pest.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of petuniaplant obtained from the crossing of one petunia plant (♀), which wasselected from a crossing a wild type of petunia plant called "A1" (♀)native to Brazil and the other wild type of petunia plant called "B2"(♂), and the wild type of petunia plant called "B2" (♂).

The petunia is a very popular plant and is used for flower bedding andpotting in the summer season. There are only a few varieties of thepetunia plant which do not have an upright growth habit and which have ahigh resistance to rain, heat, cold, and diseases. The petunia which wepreviously filed, i.e., the "Revolution" series (Revolution Purplepink(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,915). Revolution Brilliantpink (U.S. Plant Pat.No. 6,914). Revolution Brilliantpink-mini (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,899)!is decumbent type plant having long stems, a lower plant height,abundant branching, and a high resistance to heat, cold and rain.However, there are only a few varieties having a great profusion offlowers, vivid purple color and very small flower and a high resistanceto rain, heat, cold and diseases. Accordingly, this invention was aimedat obtaining a new variety having a vivid purple color and very smallflower, together with the above features.

The new variety of petunia plant according to this invention originatedfrom crossing one petunia plant (♀), which was selected from a crossinga wild type of petunia plant called "A1" (♀) native to Brazil and theother wild type of petunia plant called "B2" (♂), and the wild type ofpetunia plant called "B2" (♂).

First of all, 250 seedling were obtained from crossing a wild type ofpetunia plant called "A1" native to Brazil as female parent and theother wild type of petunia plant called "B2" as pollen parent in May,1992. From this crossing 5 seedlings were selected in view of decumbenthabit and flower color. And then 300 seedlings were obtained from acrossing of these selected 5 seedlings as female parent and the otherwild type of petunia plant called "B2" as pollen parent in Jan., 1993.These 300 seedling were grown and 10 seedlings were selected from these.These selected 10 seedlings were carried out a trial by flower pottingand bedding, and then the 2 plant selected in summer, 1993. Thebotanically characteristics of the finally-selected 2 plants were thenexamined, using similar variety "Pearl Sky Blue" for comparison, fromsummer, 1993 to autumn, 1994. Finally the only one petunia plant wasselected in Oct. 1995. As a result, it was concluded that this petuniais distinguishable from any other variety, whose existence is known tous, sufficiently uniform and stable in its characteristics, then thisnew variety of petunia plant was named "Sunbelkubu".

In the following description, the color-coding is in accordance with TheHorticultural Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England (R.H.S. Colour Chart), and the Inter-Society colourCouncil-Nation Bureau of Standard Colour Name (I.S.C.C.-N.B.S. ColourName). A colour chart based on The Japan Colour Standard forHorticultural Plant (J.H.S. Colour Chart) is also added for reference.

The female parent use in the crossing of "Sunbelkubu" was a wild type ofpetunia plant called "A1" (♂) native to Brazil, the seeds of which weregathered at Gramado, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil and introduced to Japanin December, 1989. The petunia plant "A1" having a decumbent habit planthaving long stems, an over-abundant branching, great profusion blooms,flowers are single and small, the petals having a reddish purple color,leaf shape is elliptic, and a high resistance to rain, heat, drought andpest.

The pollen parent use in the crossing of "Sunbelkubu" was other wildtype of petunia plant called "B2" (♂) native to Brazil, the seeds ofwhich were gathered at Gramado. Rio Grande Do Sul. Brazil and introducedto Japan in December, 1992. The petunia plant "B2" having a decumbenthabit plant having long stems, an over-abundant branching, greatprofusion blooms, flowers are single and small, the petals having astrong bluish purple, leaf shape is lanceolate, and a high resistance torain, heat, drought and pest. These wild type of petunia plants "A1" and"B2" are presently maintained at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory ofSuntory Ltd., residing at 863-1, Aza-Iketani, Oomori-cho, Youkaiti-shi,Shiga-ken, Japan.

The similar variety "Pearl Sky Blue" used for examination as acomparision are as follows.

Plant:

Growth habit. --Medium upright.

Plant height.--14 cm.

Spreading area of plant.--15-17 cm in diameter.

Blooming period.--April to September in the southern Kanto area. Japan.

Stem:

Thickness.--2.7 m m.

Pubescence.--Much.

Branching.--Abundant.

Length of internode.--1.3 cm.

Leaf:

Shape.--Elliptic.

Length (average).--5.5 cm.

Width (average).--3.5 cm.

Color.--Strong yellow green (R.H.S. 144A, JHS 3507).

Pubescence.--Much.

Thickness.--0.5-0.6 m m.

Leaf attaching angle to stem.--Horizontal to droopy.

Flower:

Facing direction.--Upward.

Type.--Single.

Shape.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb.

Shape of petal tip.--Obverse.

Waving of petal.--Week.

Lobation of petal.--Shallow.

Diameter.--5.5 cm.

Color.--Petal: Strong bluish purple (R.H.S. 83C. JHS 8310).

Bottom color of the corolla throat and the outside color of corollatube.--Light yellow green (R.H.S. 3D, JHS 3304).

Reproductive organs.--1 normal pistil and 5 normal stamens

Peduncle.--0.7-0.9 m m in thickness, and 2.7 cm in length.

Physiological and ecological characteristics.--Moderate resistance toheat, cold and disease and pest. Strong resistance to rain.

This new and distinct variety of petunia plant, "Sunbelkubu", wasasexually reproduced by cutting at the aforementioned the PlantBiotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd., and the homogeneity andstability thereof were confirmed.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The new variety of petunia plant has a decumbent habit, long stems andvivid purple flower petal and thus is very different from a similarvariety, "Pearl Sky Blue". The plant has decumbent habit, over-abundantbranching and great profusion blooms, and the whole bush remains inbloom for a considerable period of time. Especially secondary brachingis strong. The flower are single and very small, which is clearlydistinguished from small flower of "Pearl Sky Blue" and the petalshaving a vivid purple, which is clearly distinguished from strong bluishpurple of "Pearl Sky Blue", The bottom color of the corolla throat isbright greenish yellow and the outside color of corolla tube is paleyellow green. The plant has a high resistance to rain, heat, drought andpest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a photograph giving a partial view of the new variety ofpetunia plant planted in a flower pot.;

FIG. 2 is a photograph of flowers of the new variety of petunia plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The botanical characteristics of the new and distinct variety of petuniaplant "Sunbelkubu" are as follows.

Plant:

Growth habit.--Decumbent. The stems hang down when potted in a hangingpot.

Plant height.--5.8-6.1 cm.

Spreading area of plant.--The stem extends to length of 19-23 cm fromthe base, and thus the spreading area of the plant is 75-85 cm indiameter.

Growth.--Very vigorous with abundant branching, a great profusion ofblooms: the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable this periodof time.

Blooming period.--April to late October in the southern Kanto area,Japan. The plant shape does not change throughout this period.

Stem:

Thickness.--1.2 m m.

Pubescence.--Normal to few.

Branching.--Over-abundant. Particularly secondary branching is verystrong.

Length of internode.--1.1 cm.

Leaf:

Shape.--Lanceolate.

Length.--3.6 cm.

Width.--1.1 cm.

Color.--Dark green. (R.H.S. 137B, JHS 3707)

Thickness.--0.3 m m.

Pubescence.--Few.

Leaf attaching angle to stem.--Slantly upward to horizontal.

Flower:

Facing direction.--Slantly upward to horizontal.

Type.--Single.

Shape.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb.

Shape of petal tip.--Medium.

Waving of petal.--Week.

Lobation of petal.--Very shallow.

Diameter.--2.8-3.0 cm.

Color.--Petal : Vivid purple (R.H.S. 81A, JHS 8606): vivid bluish purpleat fading period (R.H.S. 87A, JHS 8306).

Bottom color of the corolla throat.--Bright greenish yellow (R.H.S. 3A.,JHS 2905).

Outside color of corolla tube.--pale yellow green (R.H.S. 1D, JHS 3102).

Reproductive organs.--1 normal pistil and 5 normal stamens. Both normal.

Peduncle.--0.7-0.8 m m in thickness, and 2.3 cm in length.

Physiological and ecological characteristics: High resistance to rain,heat, drought and pest, especially resistance to rain and heat is verystrong.

This new variety of petunia plant is most suitable for flower beddingand potting, particularly in hanging pots or planters, and furtherexcellent for ground cover.

The plant of this new variety "Sunbelkubu" is presently planted andmaintained at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of Suntory Ltd.,residing at 863-1, Aza-Iketani, Oomori-cho, Youkaiti-shi, Shiga-ken,Japan.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of petunia plant, substantiallyas herein illustrated and described, characterized particularly as tonovelty by (A) being a decumbent habit plant having long stems, (B) anover-abundent branching, particularly secondary branching is strong, andgreat profusion blooms, the whole bush remaining in bloom for aconsiderable period of time, (C) flowers are single and very small, thepetals having a vivid purple color, and the bottom color of the corollathroat is bright greenish yellow and the outside color of corolla tubeis pale yellow green and (D) a high resistance to rain, heat, droughtand pest.